In recent years, some new printing methods have been developed for use in computer output printing applications. One such method is ink drop printing. Whilst ink drop printing provides a very high speed output, it is not practical to use ink drop printing where low numbers of articles are required to be printed, nor is it practical to use ink drop printers to produce grey tones.
Many computer outputs are now produced in a format to display on a television screen, the output signals being encoded as standard format television signals so that they are compatible with many types of computer software, and in many situations it would be convenient to provide a printed copy on paper of information displayed on a television screen.